Dallas survived the great ice storm of December 2013, but our friends in the Midwest and Northeast are getting pounded by snow and record low temperatures.
So here’s yet another post on winter driving tips. This one is from the Weather Channel. Excerpts:
Winter is tough on vehicles and travel. Snow, cold temperatures, ice, slush and salt play havoc on a vehicle and our driving. The odds of us having a driving emergency is much greater in winter than in the other three seasons.
So, it pays to keep a kit in your trunk with all he things your are likely to need. Some auto parts stores and mass merchandisers like Walmart or Target sell these as a bundle in their own carrying case. But if you don’t find one that meets your price, and you want to combine new purchases with stuff you already have to save money, then here is your packing list. By the way, this makes a nice holiday gift for a loved on, but should be mandatory for the kid who is off to college with a car in a snow-belt school.
- Blanket: If you are stuck with a car that won’t start, or that has conked out, and have to wait in cold weather for help, you will want a decent warm blanket as an extra layer.
- Snow shovel: Get a short-handled shovel, probably a coal-type shovel, to stow in the trunk in case you need to remove snow from around the wheels of your vehicle. You can buy plastic ones, but you may want to opt for a metal one in case you also need to chip at some ice or compacted snow.
- Flashlight: Self explanatory. Keep a good-sized, water-proof flashlight with fresh batteries in case your breakdown is at night. Pack emergency candles too, as a back-up.
- Hand warmers: Available at camping stores. Smash the bag and the chemical reaction inside creates warmth to defrost fingers that may be trying to change a tire or fiddle with an engine.
- Matches: You never know when you will have to manufacture heat. It’s better than rubbing tow cld, snowy sticks together, hoping for the best.
- Bottle of water and a few protein, snack bars. You hear of people surviving on ketchup packets that have fallen between the seats, but some planning will yield a better menu under emergency conditions.
- Syphon Pump: If being out of gas is your problem, and you get offered help by a good samaritan, you want t be able to get a gallon or two of gas out of another gas tank to get you going quickly.
- Lightsticks: These cost almost nothing at a dollar store and can be used either as a light source or to wear in case you are shoveling snow around your wheels at night.
- Flares: These should be in your trunk in all seasons for putting next to your car if you are pulled over in distress.
- Whistle: It can be used to either signal for help to someone who can’t hear you yell, or to scare someone who may be trying to take advantage of your distress.
